Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012”

From Alicante to Galway. Six teams are participating in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12. Commencing from Alicante, Spain and ending in Galway, Ireland.  Six boats will participate in an eight months race around the world composed of the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, Groupama sailing Team, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, Team Sanya and Team Telefónica. 

The race traces a 39,000 nautical mile route from Alicante, Spain and the route will go to Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland and on to Itajaí, Miami and then across the Atlantic to Lisbon followed by Lorient and Galway.

To coincide with the official start of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012, IWC Schaffhausenhas released a special edition: the Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012”.  This race makes history for IWC as it is the Official Timekeeper for the races and Official Sponsor of one of the participating teams, the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team.

Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012". The Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012” from IWC Schaffhausen is a elegant sports watch made of titanium built with the degree of precision found in nautical instruments.

Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012” is a mechanical watch with a chronograph movement. It is a large watch with a diameter of 45.4 mm and a height of 14.5 mm. The case is made of titanium which keeps the wight down and has good resistance to corrosion true to its character as a professional yacht racing tool. The case is water resistant to 60 meters.

Inside is the self-winding IWC-manufactured 89361-calibre which beats at the rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour. This movement has hour and minute counters combined in a single totaliser at the 12 o’clock. The movement also features small hacking seconds and a flyback function. At the 3 o'clock the watch displays the date display. The movement is visible from the back through a transparent sapphire-glass back. The sapphire-glass back provides a clear view of IWC’s double-pawl winding, while the engraving “Edition Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012” leaves no doubt as to whom this masterpiece is dedicated. 

The dial of the watch is carbon-black protected by the expected sapphire crystal glass.. The case is mounted on black rubber strap with a folding clasp made of stainless steel. 

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team. IWC Schaffhausen is the Official Sponsor of the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team. The team, owned by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, is the first ever Arabian challenger and is sailing under skipper and two-time Olympic silver medal winner Ian Walker of Great Britain. Among the top international sailors who make up the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team are also two UAE nationals, 22-year-old Olympic sailor Adil Khalid and 27-year-old Butti Al Muhairi, who triumphed over more than 120 other hopefuls in a tough competition to earn their places on the team.

For Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen, sponsorship of this high-calibre team also heralds a new era, as IWC makes its debut in Team Sports. 

About IWC. IWC or the the "International Watch Co. Schaffhausen" was founded by an American engineer from Boston, Florentine Ariosto Jones, in Schaffhausen, Switzerland in the year 1868. IWC Schaffhausen is notable for being the only major Swiss watch factory located in eastern Switzerland, as the majority of the well-known Swiss watch manufacturers are located in western Switzerland.